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Delivering better outcomes through collaborative working

For the past 18 months, Certitude has been part of Lambeth’s Integrated Personalised Support Alliance (IPSA) providing support to enable people with long term mental health issues to live more independently within the community.

Together with Thames Reach, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), Lambeth Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Lambeth Council, we have been working to deliver on three outcomes that were identified by people as most important to them:

1. I want to recover and stay well
2. I want to make my own choices
3. I want to participate on an equal footing in daily life.

IPSA’s One Year report explains the original objectives for the alliance, our progress against them and some learning to date. Some of the key headlines include:

• A 60% reduction in admission rates to inpatient rehabilitation wards in Lambeth
• A 67% reduction rate in people going into residential care and an increase in 30% of people leaving residential care
• On course to deliver circa 20% saving by end of year 2

As Chair of the Alliance Leadership Team, I have been struck by some of the key principles that have driven the success of the Alliance to date:

• The work of the alliance has undoubtedly been driven by a shared core belief that integrated and personalised support delivers better outcomes at a lower cost.
• This belief has in turn driven the desire to invest in and strengthen relationships. Everyone brings different skills and assets – the strength comes as these are blended together. This has resulted in a new found respect between staff, clinicians, peers, individuals and families.
• Sticking with and not giving up on people has involved working together to share risk and is enabling new positive narratives about people using our support.
• Thinking differently, being innovative and using resources creatively including assistive technology has been essential to achieving outcomes.

Over the past year, I have seen people’s lives change for the better as they start to make their own choices; to participate equally and to recover and feel well. I have seen leaders emerge throughout, supported by the commitment of senior leaders from each alliance partner.

It is a privilege chairing the Alliance Leadership Team where senior managers come together with the common purpose to get the best outcomes for people. We have more to do and the challenges are great but together we can lead change, find solutions and improve lives.